Letter from the Chairman

I established the Institute in June 2011 to spur creativity and innovation through programs for leading thinkers and innovative executives. The initial focus of the Institute is the United States and China—the world’s two largest economies, energy consumers and carbon emitters.

I first visited China in 1992, just as that country began the most recent phase of its incredible economic boom. Two decades later, China has cemented its place with the United States and Europe as one of three principal engines of the global economy. Yet our countries have growing vulnerabilities, and thus have particular responsibilities.

The United States and China need to help power global growth, rebalance the global economy and global investment flows and, ultimately, assure a sustainable economic future. And each of today’s principal economic challenges can be addressed more effectively if our two countries work in complementary ways. Both of our countries will benefit by taking steps—sometimes individually, sometimes together—to support and sustain economic growth and assure better environmental and energy practices.

I established the Institute in June 2011 to spur creativity and innovation through programs for leading thinkers and innovative executives. The initial focus of the Institute is the United States and China—the world’s two largest economies, energy consumers and carbon emitters.

To that end, The Paulson Institute fosters engagement among government policymakers, corporate decision-makers and leading international experts on economics, business, energy and the environment. We are a think tank. But we are also very much a “do” tank. Our goal is to facilitate the sharing of real-world experiences and the exchange of international best practices to generate concrete solutions to the most pressing economic and environmental challenges facing the United States and China—and other countries around the globe. We do this through programs promoting solutions that will make a positive difference in the lives of Americans and Chinese. We also work closely with the University of Chicago and other partners to promote economic research and provide a platform for distinguished speakers to convey their ideas.

The Chinese calligraphy on our homepage, written by China’s Premier, Li Keqiang, during a recent trip I made to Beijing, succinctly states the Institute’s central goal: “zhixing heyi,” or “uniting knowledge and action.” As you click through our website, you will see some of the ways in which we are doing so. — Henry M. Paulson, Jr.